What if my floors need sanding and refinishing?

If your floors have gone too long between maintenance coats such that wear stains have appeared, or if you have blemishes in the hardwood which are too deep to remove by screening, or if you have used an improper cleaning product, you will need to have your floors sanded to bare wood and refinished. In most cases, this is a 3-day process, since there are three applications of product on your floor (one coat of seal or stain on the bare wood, then 2 full-strength coats of urethane finish). The floors are rough-sanded to bare wood, then trowel-filled, then fine-sanded, then stained (if a darkened finish is desired) or sealed (if a natural-color finish is desired) on the first day. On days 2 and 3, the floors are prepped and a full-strength coat of finish is applied on each day. Drying times are generally 8 hours on day 1, and 12 to 16 hours (usually overnight) on days 2 and 3. As with maintenance coats, the homeowner is responsible for removal and replacement of furniture.